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Eateries shut, Bengaluru dosas bear brunt: Fears of LPG crisis hits restaurants across India amid US-Iran war
A shortage of commercial LPG is impacting restaurants nationwide, including hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai, prompting menu changes and fears of closure.
Even as the government has been taking steps to avoid panic-buying and black-marketing of LPG, restaurants as well as hotel owners across the country have been severely hit by the shortage of commercial cylinders due to authorities giving priority to domestic gas supply.
Industry insiders pointed out that the government prioritising domestic gas supply to households has impacted the deliveries of commercial gas cylinders to restaurants.
However, the Centre and oil companies said the gas stock was sufficient and there was no cause for panic. The government has also issued direction to increase LPG production by 10 per cent.
Eateries in Maharashtra's Mumbai, Karnataka's Bengaluru, NCR's Gurugram etc. have started taking measures to limit LPG usage, such as switching to crisis menus featuring faster-cooking items and coal-based tandoor food to avoid looming shutdown.
Pan-Asian, Oriental food bear the brunt
Rahul Rohra, 41, of Veranda in Bandra and Khar, said high-flame cooking, especially for Pan-Asian and Oriental dishes, has almost come to a halt because induction cannot replicate that intensity. Some kitchens have shifted to induction and electric cookers, an earlier HT report quoted him as saying. He added: "We should be allowed to use charcoal to cook for the time being."
Shiladiya Chaudhury, who owns the popular restaurant chains Oudh 1590 and Chowman, said they are focussing on tandoor food cooked in coal-based ovens. "Efforts are being made to use electric ovens as an alternative for other items but they are not very efficient," Chaudhury said.
'Hundreds more eateries will close'
Pralhad Sukhtankar, president of the Goa chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said the commercial LPG supply has come to a halt. "Distributors have switched off their phones and some restaurants have already closed down. Hundreds more will close unless there is some intervention," he said.
Jayanand Nayak, 45, owner of Ruchi Hotel in Mumbai's Parel, said he needs three LPG cylinders every day and was receiving two till Monday. "I haven't received any today," Nayak said, adding he has cut down on menu, removing items like Dosa that need lot of cooking gas.
Bengaluru restaurants scaling back menus
Restaurants across Bengaluru have begun making changes to menus and preparing for possible shutdowns as a disruption in the supply of commercial Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) leaves many kitchens struggling to operate.
Hotel industry representatives say the shortage, which began earlier this week, has already forced establishments to ration gas usage while searching for alternative arrangements, a separate HT report mentioned. Some restaurants say their remaining supply will last only a few days.
The disruption has prompted chief minister Siddaramaiah to seek urgent intervention from the Centre In a letter to Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Tuesday, he urged steps to restore supplies so that commercial establishments can continue operating.
"As per the discussions held with the oil marketing companies, the state's commercial LPG demand has been traditionally supported through supplies from the three OMCs-IOCL (around 500-550 MT per day), HPCL (around 300 MT per day) and BPCL (around 230 MT per day)-and the sudden disruption of this supply is now severely affecting hotels, catering establishments and other commercial users in Bengaluru," he said.
"Any disruption to their functioning will have a direct impact on daily life in the city. This issue also affects a large number of students and working professionals who live away from their homes and depend on hotels and mess facilities for regular meals. In addition, choultries (wedding halls), hostels, and event venues that rely on commercial LPG for food preparation are also facing uncertainty, particularly with scheduled social and community events," he added.
Bengaluru's famed dosas to take a hit?
Restaurant owners say the supply drop was first felt on March 9, when many establishments received only a fraction of their usual deliveries. "Supply problems started on March 9. Most hotels received barely about 20 per cent of their usual cylinder deliveries, and since then the supply has stopped completely. Distributors themselves are not receiving cylinders, so restaurants have effectively been cut off," the earlier HT report quoted as saying Arun Adiga, managing partner of the nearly eight-decade-old Vidyarthi Bhavan.
For restaurants that rely heavily on gas-powered burners, the shortage can quickly disrupt service. "Many South Indian dishes, especially dosa, require burners that run on a steady flame. Our restaurant alone uses six to eight LPG cylinders a day, and bigger establishments can consume anywhere between 10 and 12 cylinders daily," Adiga said.
Vidyarthi Bhavan typically prepares about 1,800 to 2,000 dosas on a weekday. "Dosas consume the most gas in our kitchen. The immediate step we took was to reduce the number of tawas operating at the same time. If we shut down two of them, a cylinder lasts slightly longer. That might help us stretch supplies for a day or two more, but beyond that there is very little we can do if the supply does not resume," he said.
The shortage is also evident at the distribution level. An employee at a gas agency said customers have been repeatedly calling as waiting periods stretch longer.
"The waiting period for cylinders has gone up to about 25 days, and we have been receiving constant calls from customers worried about the delay. We have stopped supplying commercial cylinders because we are not receiving any stock. Domestic cylinders are still being delivered, but many customers are calling and asking if they can get those instead," the employee said.
Restaurant operators say even the black market has not provided a reliable solution. SP Krishnaraj, owner of Nisarga Grand Hotel on Nrupathunga Road, said availability remains scarce. "As of today we only have five cylinders left. Even in the black market a single cylinder costs around ₹2,800 to ₹3,000, and despite paying that much it is still difficult to find one. The official price for a 19-kg commercial cylinder is about ₹1,940," he said.
Subramanya Holla S, president of the Bangalore Hotels Association, said: "There has already been a cut in LPG supply, and there are indications that the situation could worsen further. If the supply stops completely, restaurants will inevitably have to close. What we are asking the government is to ration the available supply instead of halting it entirely, so that establishments can continue operating with a smaller menu and shorter working hours," he said.
"A few establishments are looking at diesel burners as a temporary solution. However, they are neither economical nor particularly safe, but many restaurants have little choice because they do not use electricity for cooking," Holla said.
He added a government notification cutting commercial LPG supply had encouraged black market activity.
"The notification triggered hoarding and black-market activity, which has made it even harder for smaller businesses to obtain cylinders," he said.
Himachal Pradesh
In Himachal Pradesh, the timing of the crisis hit right before the summer tourism. Anil Walia, adviser to Shimla hotels and tourism stakeholders, said they were staring "close down" with many hotels curtailing their menus. "This is bad news before the start of summer tourism season."
Sanjay Gupta, manager of Super Gas Agency in Attawa village near Chandigarh, said no new cylinders had been received in the past three days. "Restaurant owners are getting a little worried as they cannot stock or hoard commercial cylinders," he said.
Meanwhile, NRAI issued an advisory to member restaurants asking them to tweak menus.
"The ongoing geopolitical developments have led to severe disruptions in the supply chain of commercial LPG...NRAI urges all members to immediately adopt fuel conservation measures to ensure operational continuity," association president Sagar Daryani said on Tuesday.
"Immediate LPG conversation measures-- rationalise menus by temporarily prioritising dishes that require lower gas usage or shorter cooking cycles, train kitchen staff daily on gas conservation discipline, review operating hours and consider shorter hours in low-demand locations, use alternative cooking solutions and introduce limited crisis menus with faster cooking items," the two-page advisory added.
(With inputs from HT correspondents)
